Otitis from Flea Bite Allergy?

[anneryan]

Hi All,

I feel like I'm always posting about the same thing, but I just want my kitty to be happy and healthy! Anyways, I took her to the vet a week ago for extreme itching, shedding and dandruff. It was determined that she had mild fleas and the vet prescribed Frontline. My kitty also has been shaking her head and scratching her right ear a lot, so the vet looked at and cleaned out her ears. He saw no evidence of ear mites and said that some cats just have the propensity to make more ear wax, but that cats don't usually have much trouble with their ears, so he was a little perplexed by the amount of brown wax especially in her right ear.

As I research more, I'm wondering if the increased ear secretions could also be a reaction to her flea-bite allergy. Her general scratching and shedding have subsided some since we started the Frontline, but she still scratches her right ear frequently and it looks like more of the brown wax is coming back. Will this just take a while to go away as her body settles down from the flea bite sensitivity?

She is an indoor-only cat with access to our screened porch (where the fleas may have come from) and I just transitioned her over to Hill's Science Diet adult maintenance formula 2 weeks ago and she eats a little of the Hill's adult chicken canned food. The vet did say that food allergies could possibly be the culprit for her ear condition, but that it is pretty unusual to see that in a 10-month old cat.

Any thoughts or input are appreciated! Thanks a bunch.

[Traci]

Do you know if the vet looked at the ear exudate on a slide exam? If not, this should be done to rule out infection that could be caused by mites or bacteria. Even though he may not have thought mites were a problem, they, or inner ear infection need to be ruled out appropriately. The head shaking and constant scratching of the ear may be indicative of an infection brewing.

Again, ask your vet to also rule out cheyletiella mites, preferrably by taking a hair follicle sample and examining it under a slide or even considering culturing.

Lastly, check her claws for signs of dirt, debris, etc....if she has dirty claws, she could be spreading bacteria each time she scratches her ears.

Have you investigated her environment for other causes of allergies? Do you use heavy cleaners or carpet powders, etc?

In any event, get your kitten back to your vet for a more thorough exam and ruling out mites or infection more appropriately. If you're not comfortable with your vet for any reason, see a new vet promptly.

[anneryan]

Thanks, Traci. No, he did not look at the exudate on a slide or check her for skin mites. I will check her claws when we do our trim today.

Also, we don't use carpet powders, but I do have my carpets steam- cleaned professionally every 6 months or so and the last time we did it was February or March. But, she has scratched her ears and shaken her head ever since I got her from a shelter in January. I've had the vet check her ears at least three times since I've had her and he just keeps saying "no ear mites".

I'll take her back for a more thorough check or try another vet.

[anneryan]

Actually, now that I think back, I did ask him about "walking dandruff" and he looked at her skin and said that he didn't think she had it. He thought that her massive amounts of dandruff may have been caused by flea allergy.

[Traci]

Only going by your posts, it seems your vet is always "looking" but never opting for further investigation. A skin scrape/hair follicle sample/culturing are easy diagnostics, and relatively easy on your pocketbook, as opposed to letting this issue persist. Based on that, I'd suggest either getting more agressive with your vet or seeing a new one altogether.

It's very possible that there is an inner ear infection going undetected...normal otoscope exams may not detect this,...a slide exam on the exudate is warranted, as well as potential culturing. A food allergy is still one suspect to rule out, but I'd first focus on the ears and skin with these tests....if the tests are negative, then you could consider a trial hypoallergenic diet specifically (in addition, continue to rule out environmental allergens). Inflammatory responses caused by allergic reactions can be persistent, and extremely irritating/uncomfortable to the pet, your vet needs to be taking this more seriously.

[anneryan]

Thanks again, Traci. I may take her over to a Cats Only clinic that is near my house for a second opinion on her ear(s) and skin issues.

[Traci]

Good to hear...personally, I would go directly to the cat-clinic.